SUPERBLACK350's ULTIMATE DETAIL GUIDE w/PICS
 

Hi guys. Some of you know that i'm a detailer on the side. A lot of you PM me asking me questions so i thought i mine as well do a little guide here on this great site. Hope it will give you the basics of how to do things. I know a lot of you forget and never thought of doing some of these steps. Feel free to PM me if yo need anything else

I will try to update this everyday. I have work and other things i have to do as well, so i will be using my other car for work and putting my z on some jackstands. I'll try to take as much pics as i can but it's hard when you are working by yourself and also the photographer. Also, this isn't the best camera.

Also, i will try to explain the best i can with products that are easy to use for the beginners. I won't pulling out the rotory buffer, just the DA one for some of you DIYers out there. Also, some of the products i use can't be purchased over the counter, but i will be gladly to tell you what is good if you can't order anything and want to pick up some stuff at your local stores.


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WHEELS/TIRES + FENDERWEELS
Do your wheels/tires and fenderwells first. Reason for this is if you get anything on the paint, you will be washing it right after. The 350z is pretty low so it's hard to get your hand into the fenderwells and doing it properly.. I put the car on jackstands to make things a bit easier

1. Putting it up on jackstands.

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2. Take off all the wheels and line them up for some degreasing. I used some lightning degreaser for some of the people who want to pick this stuff up locally. I used a dilution of 4:1. Use a semi hard brush for teh scrubbing.

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3. Start spraying the dilution on it and start brushing the inside. This won't mess up the wheel any so don't worry. Use a little toothbrush for the smaller areas.

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Afters:

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4. Also degrease and brush where you usually put tire shine on. This will strip all of the old stuff off so you get to start on new clean tire.

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Fenderwells:

1. Put some grocery bags over the brakes and rotors. I have the OEM brembos and i don't want ot strip any type of paint off of them.

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2. Start spraying a dilution of 3:1 with the degreaser. Let it sit for about a minute. Then spray a bit of water on it then start scrubbing to get all the dirt off of the plasics and the undercoating.

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AFTER:

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I then coated all fender plastics with Meguairs Professional series plastic vinyl restorer and conditioner. I then cleaned teh springs and shocks and all aluminium pieces underneat there as well.

I then cleaned the brembos with some soap and water and then coated it with Klasse AIO sealant. This stuff will keep the brake dust off and lasts forever as well through water and sun.

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This is klasse All In One. You can pick up this little bottle for 30 dollars online. It's well worth the money.

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WASHING THE CAR


1. Have two buckets. One filled with one gallon of water and soap(not too much) and the other bucket with clean water. This is called the "2 bucket method). Everytime when you are about to dip your sponge for more soap, rinse it out first in the clean water to get all teh dirt and crap off it it so it won't scratch up or marr your paint with then new soap. You must prevent your car from scratches and swirls. Every little bit helps.

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2. I used a sheep mitt to clean all the jambs on the car. Most people will forget to do this regularly and dirt will build up nasty in there. Open both doors and trunk. Don't worry if water gets in the car a bit, we will be cleaning the interior later.

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MOVE TO VA!
Awesome write up!

lol, thanks. I'm goign to try my best to describe this whole process with the pictures. I'm pretty close to VA :)

That's all for tonight. I will have to upload more pics of the polishing part with teh porter cable 7424.

This is my car after a month of using Poorboys Natty's blue Paste wax. Can be had for around 25 shipped at most places. Great carnuba wax. It beat out any over the counter product and last in high humidity states such as NC, FL, SC, GA. You can see it still beads water very well after a month.

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I claybar'd the car but i didn't take any pics. It's pretty straight fowards. I did it on the paint, glass, and brake calipers. Everything is ready for polishing.

Machine Polishing with the Porter Cable 7424.

The porter cable is a DA(dual action) buffer. It is much user friendly than a rotary. I will be using the PC today because i know most of you don't know how to use a rotary. You can easily mess up and burn through paint if you dont' know what you are doing with the rotary. The PC is almost idiot proof if you go by the rules.

PRICES
You can purchase a PC for 100-150 on the internet. Pads will be around 60 dollars and good polishes will be around another 100 dollars. It is widely used by many car enthusiast for paint correction. You can never polish by hand and get out any swirls or scratches. Most over the counter hand polishes contains many fillers that only fill in the swirls and after one car wash, the swirls will reappear. i will be using abrasive polish that will remove them permanantly.

Biggest mistake i see is people often mix up polishing and waxing. Wax doesn't really make your car shine like polish. Wax is just a sealant that will seal in your paint. Most people will just "wax" their car while sealing in contaminants and scratches. Wax will add depth to polish but wax doesn't shine without a good polish.

Next. I remove the taillights because i like to clean inside the bumpers as well. i also use the machine to buff out all the little swirls in the taillights as well. take off the license plate and tape off all trim, glass , door handles, antenna holes, anything that the buffer will ruin. I'm using abrasive polish to remove the swirls and scratches so it would eat up plastic trim. Also, use blue painters tape and not the green stuff. I find that the green tape is way too sticky and will leave imprints in the clear coat if left out in the sun.

The following will be what i use on my paint.
Claybar - Megs white clay
Pinnacle XMT #3 Swirl remover on an orange cutting pad on setting 6
Pinnacle XMT #1 Ultra Fine swirl remover on a white polishing pad on setting 6
Pinnacle XMT Final Glaze on a black finishing pad on setting 3
Poorboys Natty's Blue Carnuba wax by hand

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Great writeup. I am going to have to check into the Poorboys wax.

Excellent write-up and attention to details. I like how you took the wheels off, popped the lights out and are really going after the small details. If you offer professional detailing services I recommend you list your services on our Detail University - Find A Professional Detailer Listing.

We carry the Poorboy's World Natty's Blue Paste Wax for $17.99 and you get 10% off for being a MY350Z.com member. Just ype in "10off350Z" (case sensitive) when checking out. I agree it's an excellent wax that provides valuable protection and a very deep gloss. We also carry the Klasse AIO if anyone is interested in this chemical polish with sealant. Let me know if you have any questions or if you'd like a recommendation.

Greg @ Detailed Image

Greg, I have a new Silver Alloy Nismo 350Z. What would you recommend as far as a polish/wax regiment? I have heard good things about the Poorboys line but would rather not have to do a 3 or 4 step process. Nice site by the way. Thanks.

In short I'd recommend the Poorboy's World Polish with Sealant and Poorboy's World Natty's Red Paste Wax. I'm going to send you a PM with more details so the thread doesn't get too off topic.

Greg @ Detailed Image

Looks amazing! I'm impressed with the level of detail you go to...hell. I think your wheel wells are cleaner than my whole car!

SuperBlack350z: Do you tape off the trim around the front/rear windows and the rubber along the roofline?

Excellent write up thusfar! :D

Thanks. Yeah, something about knowing that every part and panel is clean makes me feel better. I sometimes even clean underneath my car :icon11:

Great prices by the way and nice prices. I'll probably order some stuff myself.

LOL. Thanks. I would help you with your car if you were closer.




yeah, i tape that up as well. Those little rubber are very fragile and can mess up easily. Also, you don't want to get any residue underneath it as well. Thanks.

Greg, Thanks. The 10off350Z coupon doesn't seem to be working.

Excellent write-up. I liked the fender well write-up. I'll have to try this sometime...

Sorry about that we had an error in the code. I reset it, tested it and it's working again. Please let me know if you're experiencing any other issues or if you have any questions.

Greg @ Detailed Image

so are you using a single mit for washing the entire car?

excellent post...kudos on the step-by-step w/ pics!!!